Trust Me
by n00byorker
Summary: Danny recieves help from beyond the grave on a puzzling and disturbing case. WARNING: Death of children, swears 'n stuff.
1. Chapter 1

It was a beautiful night in New York City. A fresh rain was falling, leaving the air clean and crisp. The buzzing concrete jungle was dotted with umbrellas of various sizes and colours, giving the city a whimsical air. In a dark building somewhere deep in the heart of Manhattan, Danny Messer turned his key in the lock and opened to door to his apartment. Once inside, he kicked off his shoes, removed his dripping jacket and all but collapsed onto the sofa.

It had been a long, hard day for Danny. Work had been especially brutal, with a case involving three young children found dead in a warehouse. Stella, being a sucker for little kids, had broken down; he had to admit it was difficult for him to maintain his composure, as well. To make matters worse, they hadn't been able to catch the son of a bitch who committed the awful crime. It was days like this he truly hated his job.

Eventually, Danny dragged himself off the sofa and headed to his room to change. He was so tired, he wanted nothing more than to climb in between the cool, crisp sheets and let sleep take him. With a sense of I'll-do-it-in-the-morning, he hastily removed his clothes and flung them in a pile on the floor. He then pulled back the blankets, slid into bed, closed his eyes and was asleep within seconds.

Moments later, he heard a voice whispering urgently in his ear.

'Danny. Hey, Mess, it's me! We need to talk,' the familiar female voice hissed.

Sleepily, Danny opened his eyes. What he saw shocked him to such a degree, he was sure his hair must've turned white on the spot.

'Aiden?' he asked, not daring to believe his eyes. 'I must be dreaming. You're supposed to be dead!'

'Way to go, genius,' she said with a laugh. 'I can only stay for a minute, so listen up, ok?'

Danny, too shocked to do anything else, simply nodded.

'Ah, I've finally found a way to shut you up,' Aiden teased. Any thought that she might've been an angel immediately left Danny's mind. 'Anyway, I'm here about that case, the one with the kids. You need to keep your eyes open for the man of many faces. You got that?'

'Wait, that doesn't make sense. What's that supposed to mean?' he inquired, becoming more and more befuddled by the second.

The ghostly figure rolled her eyes, exasperated. 'Look, that's all I can tell you right now. But hey, you can figure it out when the time comes. I always said you were dangerous.'

This wasn't enough to satisfy Danny's curiosity. 'But what do you mean by 'right now'? Will you be back? How can I know you're not just fucking around with my subconscious?' He wanted answers, and he wanted them now.

'Like I said, you'll figure it out,' Aiden coddled as she faded into nothingness. 'Just trust me for once, will you?' At that, her ghostly image completely disappeared, leaving Danny alone in his room.

Just then, Danny awoke with a start, panting and drenched in sweat. He sat up in bed and looked wildly around the room, half-expecting to see her familiar face smirking at his confused state. After a quick inspection, though, he found himself alone. Leaning back and resting his head on his pillow, he mentally played through the supernatural conversation. While Aiden never really seemed the type to leave freaky ESP-style phone messages or send signs from beyond the grave, she had always been serious about her work.

'She did say to trust her,' he thought to himself as he stared up at the ceiling. Still, how could he know for sure that it wasn't just the dream of a troubled mind?

After tossing and turning for twenty-odd minutes, Danny decided to get a drink of water. As he walked into the kitchen, he was forced to do a double-take as he went passed the chalkboard on the wall. There, in clear, block letters, were the words 'THE MAN WITH MANY FACES'. Even more chilling was the signature, in letters so tiny Danny had to squint to read them; 'A. B.'


	2. Chapter 2

When Danny awoke the next morning, it took him a few moments' time to remember exactly where he was. The floor beneath him was hard and cool, and the room was flooded with morning light. He soon realized that he was in his own kitchen.

'What the hell happened last night?' he pondered and he got to his feet, his body aching from laying on the ground all night.

That was when he saw the note.

'Jesus Christ!' he shouted, taking a step backwards as a wave of memories hit him full in the face. 'Shit, Aiden, couldn't you have used voicemail?' He paced back and forth, trying to collect his thoughts. For this, he was going to need a really strong cup of coffee.

Five minutes later, Danny was sitting at the kitchen table, the aforementioned coffee cup in his right hand, an Aspirin in his left. Whether his headache was caused from his apparent fall last night or from the surprise of having a dead woman standing by his bed, he wasn't sure. He placed the pill on his tongue and swallowed it along with a gulp of the hot beverage. Now, he could think clearly.

If Aiden really was trying to tell him something, he would be more than happy to use it in his case. But he was a scientist; what would his coworkers think if he tried to tell him that a 'ghost' had given him important information? His reputation at work wasn't exactly golden. In Danny's mind, this could've easily been the last straw for Mac. It was a dilemma. He would have to keep the information to himself; at least until he was sure his head wasn't playing tricks on him.

Suddenly, Danny remembered that he had to work that day. He glanced at the clock. It was 8:03, and his shift started at 9 o'clock. At that moment, he didn't have time to think of his ghostly encounter. He had to get ready.

Within an hour, Danny had arrived at the lab and ran down the hall to Stella's office, his hair still wet from his shower. She was sitting behind her desk, typing frantically at her computer, and didn't seem to notice his presence.

'Stell?' he called out quietly, causing her to jump.

'Woah, hey! You ever heard of this thing called knocking?' she snapped. Danny couldn't help but notice how tired she looked. Dark circles framed her eyes, and her hair was even more frizzy than usual. On top of that, she was still wearing the same blue top she had on yesterday.

'You've been here all night, haven't you?' he muttured.

Stella sighed and removed her reading glasses, resting her head in her hands. 'Yeah. It's just... this case, you know? It's driving me crazy.'

'I know what you mean,' Danny said with feeling. 'More than you know,' he added silently. 'So, have you found anything?'

Just then, Stella's cellphone began to vibrate next to her. She quickly scooped it up and flipped it open.

'Bonasera,' she said with authority. She uttered a quick 'Thanks, Adam,' before slamming her phone shut again. 'Adam got a hit from those fingerprints from the kid's overall buttons on APHIS. They came back to a Lewis Martin. He works in an office in the downtown East Side. You up for a roadtrip?'

Danny leapt to his feet. 'I'm driving,' he said as he slipped into his jacket. Maybe this was the guy Aiden had been talking about.

As he drove down the busy streets of Manhattan, Stella chattering at him the whole time, Danny couldn't help but feel excited. All the evidence was pointing directly at Lewis Martin. The only question was; would the evidence match up with what Aiden told him?


	3. Chapter 3

Danny wasn't sure what he had been expecting when he arrived at Lewis Martin's office, but it certainly wasn't the portly, badly-dressed, middle-aged man that sat before him. Honestly, he couldn't help but be a little disappointed. While he hadn't exactly been expecting Captain Hook, this guy looked almost a little too soft to be a murderer.

'Anybody can do anything to anyone,' he silently reminded himself before approaching the older man.

'Mr. Martin?' Stella inquired, flashing him her badge as he nodded. 'NYPD. I'm Detective Bonasera, this is Detective Messer. We'd like to ask you a couple of questions.'

'Oh, of course!' Martin exclaimed jovially, causing Danny to nearly jump out of his skin. 'What would you like to know, my dear?' Danny had to hide his amusement as Stella flinched. She hated being called 'dear'.

'Do you recognize these children?' he asked, placing the three autopsy photographs on his desk.

Martin leaned over and inspected the pictures, looking more and more alarmed by the second. 'No, I don't... My god, are these children dead?'

'Yes, Mr. Martin,' Stella confirmed. 'They were found in a warehouse near your office. Their throats had been slashed,' she said, frowning at the memories.

'Oh my lord...' Martin whispered, leaning back in his chair. 'That's horrible... Who would do such a thing?'

'That's what we're trying to find out,' Danny said grimly. 'Sir, your fingerprints were found on one of the children's clothes. Is there any reason why that might've been?'

The rotund old man stared up at the detectives with huge eyes. 'Are you suggesting that I had something to do with this?' he demanded. 'I would never hurt a child. I have kids of my own!' At this, he pointed to a framed photo on his desk, featuring two smiling girls who appeared to be in their teens.

Just then, a beeping noise filled the room. Stella looked down at her pager, annoyed because of the interruption.

'I'm afraid we're going to have to cut our little visit short,' she snapped. 'But I assure you, we _will_ be in touch.' At that, she turned on her heel and gestured for Danny to follow her.

Once they were out of earshot, Stella pulled him aside. 'I just got a page from Adam. He needs to talk to us ASAP.'

'Actually, I need to talk to you, too,' Danny said, feeling a little nervous. He let out a long sigh before continuing. 'Listen, I think we got the wrong guy. I just...' He paused, wondering if he could really tell 

her about Aiden's late-night visit. '... I just have a feeling, you know?' he finished, hoping she wouldn't question him further.

She smiled sadly at him. 'I know. This is a tough case, for both of us, but we have to follow the evidence.'

'But... Don't you ever feel like the evidence isn't always right?' Danny asked.

Stella put her hand on his shoulder and looked him directly in the eye. 'Every day,' she said, not without sympathy for the younger detective.

Shortly thereafter, Danny found himself bathed in the fluorescent glow of the lab's ceiling lamps. Adam stood behind a microscope, examining a fine, black powder.

'What've you got for us, Adam?' Stella asked the lab tech.

'Well, I took a closer look at the powder you found in the girl's hair. It's actually a kind of paint, usually used with models. You've got a hobbyist on your hands.' He smiled shyly at the pair of detectives, silently begging for approval.

'Right, and there are only about a million of those in New York,' Danny said grumpily. He didn't mean to be short with Adam; he was simply frustrated.

Much to his surprise, Adam's face only brightened at his snide remark. 'That may be true, but this is a special kind of paint. It's made in Madagascar and is really rare in the states. I contacted the company that makes it and got some info. It turns out that only one person from New York has ordered it since the site went up. After a little bit of coaxing they gave me the name and address. You're looking for a Lee Kelly on 2657 West 100th Street.'

Danny was silent for a moment before reaching out and clapping Adam on the back. That kid never ceased to amaze him. Thanks to him, he was one step closer to catching this elusive murderer.


	4. Chapter 4

Danny and Stella left the lab as quickly as they arrived. Once again, he felt his heart pounding at the prospect of discovering this 'man of many faces'. This had become so much more than a case; to him, it was a challenge, an adventure.

They soon arrived at the suspect's apartment. It was an old building, and appeared to be falling apart at the seams. As Danny knocked on Kelly's door, he half-expected it to come loose from its hinges and fall to the floor.

Seconds later, a lanky, dishevelled man opened the door a crack, the chain still attached. 'Listen, Ralph, I told you, I'm NOT keeping your cat while you're away! I'm allergic! Now keep that mangy thing away from me!'

At this, Stella wedged her foot in the doorway. 'I dunno, Lee. Cats are supposed to be very relaxing. Maybe you could get shots,' she said with a smirk. Danny snorted in amusement at the look on Kelly's face.

'Who the hell are you people?' he demanded, going red from embarrassment. 'Look, if this is about my sink overflowing, I already said I'd pay for the damages. Now get off my back!'

Before Kelly had the opportunity to close the door, Danny thrust his badge in his face, which was slowly beginning to resemble a large tomato. 'What if we say please?' he asked in a tone that was bordering on singsong.

The detectives soon found themselves sitting on a worn, bagged-out sofa. Danny couldn't help but feel like he was sitting on some sort of mouldy, over-sized marshmallow as he watched Stella's slender frame sink lower and lower into the folds of the cushions.

'Mr. Kelly, what can you tell us about these children?' she asked, struggling to stay upright as she placed the same three pictures on the coffee table.

Kelly looked over the photographs briefly, squinting at the horrifying images. After a moment, he looked away from the pictures. 'I'm sorry; I just need to get my reading glasses. I'm farsighted.'

'It's ok,' said Stella. 'Just don't be too long.'

As soon as Kelly had left the room, Danny jumped, or rather, slowly sank to his feet and followed him.

'What are you doing?' Stella hissed between clenched teeth.

'I just want to see what he's up to and take a look around,' he explained without turning back. Silently, he crept down the hall, hoping he wouldn't trip on the uneven floorboards and call unwanted attention to himself. As he stalked down the hallway, he noticed a half-open door that lead to a bright red room. Something seemed to be pulling him towards it, coaxing him to step closer and look inside. Unable to fight the urge, he slowly opened the door, flinching at the squeak that erupted from the hinges. He then quietly let himself inside and had to suppress a scream.

The room was full of masks.

'The man of many faces...' Danny thought to himself before running back into the living room.

'Stell! This guy did it! Don't ask me how I know, but I guarantee you he's the one we're after!' he exclaimed as quietly as possible.

'What the hell are you on about, Danny? We haven't even been able to talk to him yet!' Stella sighed, exasperated. 'Just keep your shirt on for five minutes, will you? If this really is the guy, we'll catch him. Until then, no more espresso for you.'

Just then, Kelly returned, wearing a pair of horn-rimmed glasses. 'Sorry about that,' he said, taking a seat in an easy chair and examining the photographs once again. 'Hang on a sec...' he muttered, tapping the picture of a young boy with sandy-blond hair. 'I know this kid! He just came into my shop the other day. I work at a hobby shop, and this kid was always in there, poking around at the model trains.' He paused for a moment before staring long and hard at Stella. 'Wait a minute, these aren't the kids who were found dead, are they?'

'I'm afraid so,' she said sadly. 'Sir, we found traces of paint from Madagascar in the boy's hair, the one who came to your shop. We traced the paint back to you. Is there any reason why that might be?'

'Well, yeah, there is,' Kelly admitted. Danny stood up straighter, itching to know more. 'When he came by the other day, I just walked by and ruffled his hair. I guess I had some of the paint on my hands.'

'We'll see about that,' Stella grumbled as she and Danny stood from their seats. 'I think we're done here. We'll call you if we know anything more, alright?'

During the drive back to the lab, Danny could feel his head swimming with thoughts. Kelly had to be lying to them; he had seen enough evidence in that red room. He tightened his grip on the steering wheel. They would nail this bastard to the wall; Danny would make sure of it.


End file.
